In 1947 Mexico signed the Rio Treaty
of Mutual Defence, through which the Mexican army received new equipment.
This included twenty-five examples each of the Sherman M4 medium tank and
M3A1 and M5 light tanks. Besides these, quantities of the M8 75 mm tracked
SP howitzer, fifty M8 Greyhound armoured cars and one hundred M3A1 scout
cars were received. Little further equipment came in until the early 1960s,
when some additional armoured vehicles including fifteen Humber Mk IV and
similar numbers of MAC-1 armoured cars and HWK-11 APCs were acquired. Due
to economic crisis plans for the acquisition of new AFVs were curtailed
and the army was stuck with its obsolescent equipment.
Jane's Defence Upgrades reported
that the Mexican army has now modernised several types of its older armoured
vehicles, including forty M8 Greyhounds, thirty-two M2A1 half-tracks, the
remaining M3A1 scout cars and some M4 Sherman tanks.
| M32 Chenca |
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Scan via Roberto Flores
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Using an upgrade package developed
by Napco International of the US,
the Military Industries arm of the National Defense Secretariate (SEDENA)
converted a number of M32B1 TRVs into engineering recovery tractors. Note
that the final drive housing has two brackets added, presumably to permit
the fitting of a dozer blade. In this form, the vehicles are designated
M32 Chenca and have been re-engined with a more powerful Detroit
Diesel 8V-92-T diesel engine and equipped with an 81 mm mortar and several
recovery tools. |
Sources:
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English, Adrian
J., Armed Forces of Latin America. London: Jane's Publishing Co.Ltd.,
1984.
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Jane's Defence
Upgrades, Vol.II, No.15, 1-15 August 1998, p.4.
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Last update:
25-10-1999
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